FF7 Dragon Rider
by Novwember'sChild
Summary: What if Kadaj was transported into another world, rather than into the life stream? That's what I asked myself. Then I wrote this. Rated T, just in case.


Right, so the first chapter isn't very Final Fantasy-ish. The next chapter is, however. =3 Hope everyone enjoys this!

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**'Wake up!'**

Kadaj sat up in his bed, eyes snapping open, as the demanding voice rang in his head. Rubbing his eyes, the boy got out of bed and put his cloths on quickly_. 'Kadaj?'_ Whispered the voice again, curiously._ '_Are you awake?' Yawning, he simply thought in reply, 'Yeah, I'm awake.' That seemed to be enough for the voice, as it didn't say anything more.

Fully dressed in the usual black leather outfit, Kadaj made his away down the steps of a beautiful castle-like mansion, which had sat for hundreds of years on a cliff, out looking the beautiful land of Agasia. The mansion was now Kadaj's home, which he was more than happy to live in. Making his way outside, the little remnant made his way to a cave, not far away from his home, and stood at it's entrance, waiting.

'About time, Kadaj.' A playful voice echoed within the boy's mind. He smirked, replying, 'Looks like somebody needs to grow some patience. You coming out or not?'

Without warning, a huge creature flew out of the cave, grabbing Kadaj and, with it's huge bat-like wings flapping, took him up into the sky. Giving a yell, the teen held on to the large claws that held him, trying to stay calm. The creature tossed the boy up in the air, flying beneath him. He landed on it's back, squirming around until he was comfortably seated between the monstrous wings. He glared at the creature's head, but couldn't stay mad at such a powerful beast.

'A little warning would have been nice, Shaidina.'

He heard a chuckle in his head, smirking. 'Oh, what does a fearless Dragon Rider like you need with a warning?' He simply laughed, patting the creature's side. It was a dragon, loyal only to it's rider, Kadaj. It had thick, leathery skin, which was a dark midnight black, though starting between the large horns on it's head, a furry mane ran down it's back and formed a long, wolf-like tail. This mane was a light ice blue, it's eyes matching it in color. The creature was female, which the wider hips, smaller size and soft telepathic voice confirmed.

Kadaj had found Shaidina many years ago in the mountains, where he had found himself after being killed in a completely different world. At first he had thought that the thing he had found was just a dark, shiny rock, albeit hollow. But then it began to crack, and soon a small, lizard-like creature had immerged from the rock. It had cried out for food, which Kadaj gave it after washing the slimy goo from it. From that point a strong bond had formed between the creature and human, something that couldn't be broken. The boy protected the little creature while it was growing up, and now Shaidina protected Kadaj, ripping all those who would threaten him to shreds.

After a few years, Kadaj had noticed that he hadn't aged any, though he should have. The dragon had explained, at that point, that he was a Dragon Rider, and they never aged.

Not long after being discovered, Kadaj and Shaidina had been asked by the king to help protect the land, which they agreed on. Now they were two of the most powerful beings in all of Agasia, answering only to the King himself. Lately, they had been called upon to help rid the forest of Ganshees, an ugly creature formed of misplaced dark magic. These creatures proved to be easy enough to get rid of, even in large groups, and they served as good practice for the warriors. Nobody had looked into where they had come from, however.

These creatures were what Kadaj and his faithful dragon were hunting that morning, though they were more concerned with the sun's warmth and the wind that played with mane and hair.

'There!' Shaidina cried suddenly, spotting the dark creatures stirring on the ground. Kadaj leaned over and scanned the forest before drawing his sword. 'I see them.' He replied. 'Let's go.'

The dragon dived down between the trees, snapping the first Ganshee up with her sharp teeth, shaking it like a rag doll before dropping it's body and grabbing the next victim. Still on her back, Kadaj leaned to one side so that he was hanging from Shaidina, striking out with his sword. One by one, the Ganshees were hit, falling to the ground and disappearing in a black mist. Those that survived ran, but they could not escape the Rider.

'Well, now that's done,' Kadaj called to his dragon, watching the last of the Ganshees fade away as he cleaned thick, black liquid from his sword. 'What shall we do now?'

Shaidina didn't have to reply. Her stomach spoke for her, giving a loud rumble. The teen grinned, hopping up onto the creature's back and petting her head gently.

'Better go find something to eat, then.'

The two flew off, scanning the forest for deer, as they were the main course for most large animals of the land, and there was plenty of them. It didn't take long for the dragon to catch one, and the two headed back home with the catch. As Shaidina ate her meal out in the sun, Kadaj sat by her side, having gotten a couple of sandwiches. He wasn't the deer type of guy. Once they had finished their meals, they sat on the cliff out looking Agasia, Kadaj leaning against his dragon. They were happy here, and it seemed as though nothing bad would ever happen. At least, that is what they had hoped.

'Why did you fight against that human, Cloud, Kadaj?' Shaidina asked suddenly, turning her head to look at the silver-hair boy beside her. It took a while for Kadaj to answer, but he finally managed to reply. 'That's…. it was what Mother told me to do… and I thought she loved me..'

The dragon thought silently about the reply, tilting her head slightly. She had seen what Kadaj had done through his memories, and she had seen how cruel he had been. It was hard for her to believe that the boy in those memories was her rider. He was nothing like that now…

Kadaj bowed his head slightly, a look of shame on his face. Even now, he regretted what he had done. He knew it was wrong, even as he did all those things…. But he couldn't make it stop. He smiled a little as Shaidina nuzzled him, wrapping his arms around her huge head and hugging her. He knew he didn't need Jenova now… he had Shaidina, who he knew loved him very much. And he loved her…

The dragon smiled, whispering, 'Come on, little Rider. Let us ride, without having to look for pests in the forest.' Kadaj smiled in return and nodded, standing and hopping up on the creature's back. Shaidina took off once again, flying higher than before. They didn't have to look for anything now. This was their time. Kadaj closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind as it whipped his hair around, allowing himself to be lost in the freedom of riding. Before he had started riding, the boy had never felt so free and happy; even now, there was a lingering feeling of the hate he had felt so many years ago, something he feared might boil over once again one day.

'What's that…?' He heard Shaidina mutter, looking down to the ground. He frowned at what he saw; there was another group of Ganshees, only this time they had a prisoner. The dragon looked over her shoulder to her rider, then flew down as he nodded. Kadaj drew his sword, leaping off of his dragon's back as they landed and attacking the creatures. The group was larger than normal, and braver than normal as well. They attacked Kadaj and Shaidina, digging their claws into them and biting viciously. Kadaj swung his sword around him in a fit of rage, striking down the circle of Ganshees surrounding him. He narrowed his cat-like eyes as he noticed one of the ugly creatures running away with something, leaping over another one of the beasts and taking off after the runaway. These things were slow and clumsy, so it didn't take much for Kadaj to catch it and put an end to it's trouble-making for good. As the black mist faded away, a large stone was revealed. A large, shiny black stone with red vein-like patterns covering it. Kadaj stared at it, and, picking it up, he brought it to his ear and knocked gently on it. Just as he had expected, a hollow ring echoed from within it.

'Kadaj…?' Shaidina called. 'The battle is done. What have you found?' The boy thought for a moment, staring at the object in his hands. 'It's an egg…' He answered finally, still sounding unsure. 'A … dragon egg?' Shaidina asked after a while, obviously shocked. She was the only dragon to have been seen for hundreds of years.

'Yeah….' Kadaj replied, turned around. 'I'm heading back. Stay there.' Walking quickly, he arrived where Shaidina stood, spotting a young woman, who was shackled and blindfolded. Walking over, the rider removed the shackles, then the blindfold. The woman blinked, turning her head up to look at her rescuer. She then spotted the egg, held at the boy's side.

"Give me the egg!" She demanded, her strong voice as loud and as clear as a bell. She stepped forward, trying to grab the egg, but stepping back, Kadaj grabbed her shoulder and held her at arm's length. "Not until you tell me where you find it and whose side you are on!" He barked back. The two stared at each other, eyes narrowed. "Fine." The woman hissed finally, folding her arms across her chest. "I found the egg up in the mountains, which I had crossed on my way here. My leader and the leader of this land are allies, and when my leader heard of this sudden infestation of Ganshees, he sent me over to look into it."

Kadaj frowned, a look of confusion on his face. "Look into it?" He echoed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But these are just pests, right? Just misplaced magic? I mean…. they're no match for me and…" He trailed off as a look of scorn came upon the girl's face. "There has to be a cause, idiot. Wizards, even young, foolish ones, do not simply 'misplace' enough black magic to create this many Ganshees. It simply doesn't happen. There is a greater force behind this. I was sent here to find out what that force is."

The woman then paused, eyeing the boy. "Who were you going to mention, anyway? Who is fighting with you?" Kadaj didn't have enough time to answer, for Shaidina, who was standing behind the girl, gave out an ear piercing roar, starting the stranger. She turned to face the dragon, staring up at her in wonder and fright. "I…. I thought that egg was the last…" She said after a long while, looking from Shaidina to Kadaj. "I thought Shaidina was the last…. I guess we were both wrong." He replied, glancing down to the egg, which he still carried.

"So… you are on the King's side?" She nodded slowly, looking relieved as Kadaj held the egg out for her to take. "Are… are you a dragon rider, boy…?" She asked as she gently took the egg, holding it close to her. He simply nodded in reply.

Now that things had settled down, Kadaj finally had a chance to look the stranger over. She truly was a beauty, with long black hair and pale skin. She wore a black leather corset-like jacket, a ragged red skirt flowing down her curvy form. There was a rip at the side, revealing a leg, which a thigh high stocking and thick-soled leather boots covered. There were a couple of underskirts as well, which were just as ragged. The sleeves of her jacket matched the skirt, and the entire outfit was held together by belts and zips, and in all added a very dominating look to her beautiful appearance.

What really caught Kadaj's attention, however, were the pointed ears and the dark violet eyes. She was an elf.

"What's your name?" Kadaj asked suddenly, taking a seat next to Shaidina. The elf thought for a moment, still shocked at having found a live dragon. Surely if something as pure as a dragon followed this person, then he could be trusted…

"Deardry." She said finally, taking a seat not far away. Kadaj smirked, leaning against a rock. "The Queen Of Sorrow." He said, amused. She raised an eyebrow, replying, "I believe my mother had something else in mind, but… I suppose."

The two spoke for a while, with Shaidina watching on. Judging by her accent, this elf had come a long way, and she was obviously determined.

After several hours of conversation, Kadaj stood. "The sun's going down… do you have a place to stay?" Deardry shook her head in reply. The dragon and rider exchanged glances, then the boy turned back to the girl. "You can stay at my place, then. It'll do you good to learn more about the ways of a rider before diving head first into something like that." At first, Deardry seemed reluctant, but she knew Kadaj was right. She needed all the help she could get.

"Very well," She said at last. "Take me to your place." With a nod, the silver-haired teen hopped up onto his dragon, offering Deardry a hand up. She found herself sitting on his lap, which, while he didn't seem to mind, made her uneasy.

Not, however, as uneasy as being launched up into the air on the back of a large, scaly beast. Screaming and struggling, the girl put up quite a fight. Kadaj managed to calm her, but he had to hold her arms down to do so. "You'll never be a dragon rider if you panic like _this_ every time you fly!" He shouted above the noise of wind. "I'm afraid of heights!" She screamed back, angry and frightened. Shaidina rolled her eyes, while Kadaj simply sighed.

After a long, shaky flight, the three landed outside the mansion. Deardry waited inside while Kadaj said his goodnights to Shaidina, who seemed more than a little annoyed at the elf's performance during the flight. 'She has a long way to go before she will ever be a rider.' The dragon commented dryly, her lip curling up in a sneer. 'I wasn't perfect the first time around..' Kadaj said simply. Finally, the boy gave his dragon one last hug before turning and walking into the mansion, where Deardry was waiting for him.

"You two act like that every night?" She asked Kadaj as he walked through the door, one eyebrow raised. "Yeah," Kadaj replied, blinking. "Why do you ask?"

The elf only smirked, remarking, "You act more like lovers than anything else." The boy frowned, shaking his head. "You don't get it, obviously. A dragon shares a very close connection with it's rider, something stronger than any human contact. If I didn't feel so close to my dragon, I wouldn't be a true rider." With that, he walked up the stairs, calling over to his shoulder to a bewildered Deardry, "Choose any of the spare bedrooms you like. We'll start lessons tomorrow."

Glancing down to the egg, Deardry gave a quiet sigh, muttering to herself, "What have I gotten myself into…?" With another sigh, the girl walked up the stairs as well, finding a large, fancy spare room and settling down into the bath, the egg wrapped up on her bed.

Kadaj fell onto his bed, worn out from such a strange day. Still, he looked forward to the next, as always. When you're a dragon rider, every day is an adventure. Life is never boring. But now, it was time for a rest. Kadaj dressed for bed and, with a light smile on his face, settled into his bed and allowed sleep to take over…


End file.
